Botswana -- Premier African Wildlife Photo Safari

This trip is sold out. We've announced our next African photo safari for May, 2011. You can learn more about it or sign-up online. Or if you have a group of 4 or more wanting to travel together please contact us about a custom photo safari to southern Africa.

Focus on Wildlife: Digital Photo Safari to Botswana November [2009 is SOLD OUT] Our Next Botswana trip is May, 2011 and will feature Vic Falls, Botswana Wildlife and an optional Capetown extension. E-mail safaris [at] cardinalphoto.com for more information.

Female Leopard (Legadima) scouting for Prey Okavango Delta, May 2008 Photo Safari

I'm very excited to be going back to Southern Africa after the great trips we've had in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008. This year's trip of 12 nights featurs 11 nights in the bush--taking advantage of high-end lodges and luxury tented camps and two nights on the Zambezi River in Livingstone, Zambia viewing game and visiting Victoria Falls at the beginning of the trip. We'll optionally overnight in Johannesburg at the end of the trip for those interested in touring Soweto or continuing on to other portions of Southern Africa. There is an optional and very exclusive pre-trip extension available to Zambia.

Action photography is key to great safari photographs. We'll have lessons in camp and in the field on some great tips for capturing action shots like this one.

Based on experience in previous trips to these state of the art camps, we'll see well over 100 species of animals including Lion, Leopard, Cheetah, Elephant, Giraffe and many colorful species of Antelope. The dozens of mammals species will be complemented by possibly well over a hundred species of birds, many of which we'll be able to photograph. We also have a very good chance of seeing the very rare Wild Dogs on this trip.

For some samples, visit our: 2008 trip Photo Gallery, Photo Essay from 2007, & May 2006 trip Photo Gallery

Wildlife & Travel Photo Instruction: All participants will have plenty of 1-1 personal instruction time while we're in the field on game drives. We'll also have focused sessions on taking great scenics and travel photographs.

Classroom Photo Instruction: As always, we will have a projector and screen with us and will be providing optional photo instruction in digital workflow and image editing. We've also added a printing session, using a portable printer we'll help you get your once in a lifetime images onto paper--and teach you how to use those skills when you return home.

Many of the camps we'll be using have options for daily activities including walking game drives or boating. In particular, non-shooters or casual shooters along on the trip may be interested in participating in some of those activities while the rest of us are on more traditional vehicle based game drives. The small size of our group and the small size of the camps allow us to be very flexible, so please let us know your preferences as we go along.

Itinerary for 12-night Wildlife Safari
November 14-26, 2009:

November 14, 15: Toka Leya Camp, Zambezi River & Victoria Falls, Zambia

Arrive in Livingstone, overnight and unwind at our hotel and get a chance to explore the magnificent and one of a kind Victoria Falls from the Zambian side. On the 15th we'll have a morning shoot to get acquainted, check out gear, see some local sights. Afternoon talks on Photographing on Safari and Digital Workflow, (optional) Monitor Calibration & Profiling, Gear Check. Group dinner. Optionally we can take a quick trip across to see the falls from the Zimbabwe side as well.

November 16, 17, 18: Chitabe Camp, in the Southern Okavango Delta

Early morning transfer to Maun, Botswana--the hub of the Okavango Delta--by charter aircraft. We plan to arrive in time for an afternoon game drive on the 16th, followed by three nights at the world class Chitabe safari camp. Featuring two high quality game drives each day--with spotlighting into an evening drive available each night as well. Afternoons will feature time to work on images at our "portable digital lab" and optional photo "tech talks" on topics of interest to wildlife photographers. Evenings will also feature contributed slides highlighting the days images, with optional feedback from our pro photographers.We'll finish with a drive on the morning of the 18th prior to taking our charter flight to the Linyanti Region in North Central Botswana.

November 19, 20, 21: Savuti Camp, in the Linyanti Region

We'll arrive in time for an afternoon drive on the 19th, followed by three nights in the Linyanti region at the newly remodeled Savuti Camp, situated on the unique Savuti Channel, with two high quality game drives each day and time for spotlighting in the evening after "sun-downers". Afternoons will feature time to work on images at our "portable digital lab" and optional photo "tech talks" on topics of interest to wildlife photographers. Evenings will also feature contributed slides highlighting the days images, with optional feedback from our pro photographers. On the final morning we'll have time for a game drive and then head by charter aircraft back to the Okavango Delto to the Vumbura airstrip.

November 22, 23, 24: Little Vumbura, in the Northern Okavango Delta

We'll arrive in time for a game drive on the afternoon of the 22nd, followed by hree nights back in the Okavango at the very unique Little Vumbura camp, where those interested will be able to mix boating and traditional mokoros (dugout canoes) with vehicle-based game drives. Nature walks are also an option for those desiring a change of pace. Each day we'll have time for full morning and afternoon activities--either two vehicle based game drives or for those who prefer a mixture of vehicle, walking, and boating. Even fishing is available here. Afternoons will feature time to work on images at our "portable digital lab" and optional photo "tech talks" on topics of interest to wildlife photographers. Evenings will also feature contributed slides highlighting the days images, with optional feedback from our pro photographers. Our last evening in the bush will feature a slideshow of our favorite images from the trip. We'll have time for a game drive or a Mokoro trip--featuring specatuclar frogs and other great macro subjects--on our final morning before heading back to Maun and from there to Johannesburg.

November 25: Grace Hotel Rosebank

We'll have a final morning game drive on the 25th, before brunch and our mid-day charter flight transfer to Maun and return flight to Johannesburg (possibly with time for a quick bit of final souvenir shopping in Maun before we leave Botswana) for a relaxing evening with an optional group dinner and overnight at the Grace Hotel Rosebank. Or continue on with optional extensions (some ideal extensions are to see and photograph the Meerkats in the Kalahari, spend more time in some of the specialty camps in the Okavango Delta or visit the famous wine country in South Africa or the trendy Capetown area). Anyone needing to get home quickly can plan on skipping the final night and flying straight back on the 25th.

Remember: These are not your average African safaris. We have extra luggage room for camera equipment, extra power in the camps for re-charging your cameras and laptops, dedicated photo instruction from professional photographers, guides who have been trained to help get clients in position for good photos, less clients per vehicle, exclusive use of many camps and have carefully built our itinerary around getting the best photographic opportunities possible.

To sign-up: The trip includes all of the lodging, meals, drinks, transportation, camps, guiding, charter aircraft, etc. except for tips and your international airfare to Johannesburg. Due to the uniquely small camps we use and their over-whelming popularity we do need sign-ups fairly early. Guarantee your place with a $2000 deposit. Our most recent safari sold out early, and the camps will sell out for sure, so if you're interested make sure and sign-up soon.

Note on Single travelers: If you are traveling solo and willing to share then you only need to pay the double occupancy cost. If you want your own accomodations please contact us to see if a single supplement is available (due to the unique nature of the camps and their strictly limited number of tents we can not always offer this option).

Our Operating Partners:

Journeys Unforgettable handles our local arrangements and planning extensions for our clients. Steve & Brennan have years of experience in organizing and leading trips to Botswana, Namibia and South Africa. They are both avid photographers, and have been helping organize and lead my trips with me since 2005.

Wilderness Safaris is without question the very best camp operator in Southern Africa. They own and operate many camps which are used by very high end tour operators like Kerr & Downey -- where you'd pay more and get a lot less of the photo extras we are providing for this trip. Wilderness has been working with us from the beginning on our Digital Photo safaris and always support us above and beyond the call of duty. There policy of not allowing hunting on any of their concessions also helps greatly with our access to unstressed animals. They also provide a portion of all of their revenue to local non-profit development efforts through the Wilderness Trust and Children in the Wilderness.

Testimonials:

Read what George Lepp thought about his 2007 trip with Journeys, and what many other past participants had to say.

Lion Pride, Linyanti Region, Botswana, Africa
Taken on 2008 Cardinal Photo Safari
Converted to Black & White as a Class Exercise

Equipment: Wildlife photography does have equipment needs, of course. All participants will receive detailed assistance and suggested and alternate photo and general travel equipment options. We'll also help you decide if your existing photo gear is suitable or what additional equipment might make your experience more enjoyable. We have a partnership with B&H Photo B&H sales department as well as my co-leaders and myself are of course available to help you sort out specific equipment requirements.

General Notes: The exact camps may change due to weather or local conditions, but if we do need to make a change it'll be to a similar camp. Trip logistics normally include a night in Johannesburg before and after the time in the bush, so you need to allow an extra day on each end. Of course, our staff will be happy to help with any questions before, during and after the trip.

We'd love to have you join us on one of these "Trips of a lifetime". After having been all over the world, there is no place better for photographing wildlife than Botswana. For anyone who is serious about photographing animals the trip is worth it!--David Cardinal